Henry Porter's recent piece on Britain's visa system was at best naive, and at worst designed to deliberately misinform people about our immigration system. To dismiss Britain's border security – put in place to protect the public from very real threats – as "a campaign against poets with strange sounding names and of Muslim origin" is quite frankly ludicrous.

The government is acutely aware of how important the flourishing arts sector is to Britain, and we have never been less than supportive. Foreign artists play a major part of this industry's success – but that does not mean they will be treated any differently from the millions of people who apply to visit the UK each year.

As immigration minister my job is to make sure Britain is safe, our border is secure, and migration works for everyone – this means ensuring that the right people are able to come here and barring those we don't want.

It is easy for Porter to disregard our restrictions as "nasty and absurd". Thankfully he's not one of the UK Border Agency's frontline officers turning away thousands of fraudulent applicants every year, sifting through piles of dodgy documents and checking would-be passengers against crime, terrorism and immigration watch-lists.

Does he really think these checks are unnecessary? Should the privilege of visiting Britain really be compared to "holding a dinner party and finding there is a bouncer on the door"? The sad fact is, not everyone plays by the rules, and not everyone is trying to come to Britain for honest reasons. Part of our job is to sift out those who want to break our rules or put the public in harm's way.

This does not mean I am blind to the ways these rules affect people. Genuine foreign artists are important to us – they make a huge contribution to the cultural and of course the economic wealth of this country. The last thing we want to do is trip anyone up or put them off coming here. That is why we worked very closely with representatives of the arts sector in devising the points-based system. We continue to listen to their suggestions through regular meetings of the Arts and Entertainment Taskforce, which includes representatives from the UK Film Council, the Arts Council and the National Campaign for the Arts. And we go to great lengths to make sure everyone – including foreign artists – knows how the rules work. This includes a national advertising campaign, detailed guidance on the website, and a dedicated helpline for individual queries.

Similar pleas for special treatment with equally forceful arguments have come from students and academics. Unfortunately not everyone is a good guy. Is Porter suggesting we have a two-tier system?

The new points-based system is flexible – and where changes can be made to improve it, we have shown that we are not afraid to make them. We tightened up the criteria for highly skilled migrants in response to the difficult economic times and, following the advice of independent labour market experts at the Migration Advisory Committee, we made it easier for companies to bring over skilled contemporary dancers and skilled orchestral musicians. But there are certain principles of the system that should not – and will not – be changed. And I think it is important to explain why.

Before anyone can come here under the points-based system – or indeed get any visa – they must first give us their fingerprints. This is so that we can run them against "watchlists" which flag people who are wanted by the police or have serious criminal convictions. Lawbreakers are not necessarily going to tell us this kind of information voluntarily and these checks have already flagged thousands of false identities.

Also, under the majority of the points-based system, people can only come here if they have a sponsor – that is, a company or organisation that will vouch for them while they are here. This has two big advantages: firstly that only people who are genuinely needed can come here; secondly it increases the chances that those who do come play by the rules during their stay. This means being here no longer than their visa allows and going home at the end of that time.

The system needs to be strict if it is to work, but that doesn't mean it is not also speedy and most visas are processed within a week. Having said that, we recommend any artists' applications are made as far as possible in advance, normally one month before intended travel, though we accept applications up to three months ahead.

The rules are designed to be firm but fair. And – most importantly – they apply to everyone regardless of race, gender, age or background. I believe in equality and I'm pleased to say that a sense of fair play runs through this system. Foreign artists, like everyone else, have to use the new system and it is right that we treat artists and performers like everyone else.

To work effectively the system has to be transparent, consistent and protect Britain's border. I am proud to say that is what it does.